# rout

> English word · Noun · IPA /ɹaʊt/ · frequency rank #25,914

## Definitions
1. A group of people; a crowd, a throng, a troop; in particular (archaic), a group of people accompanying or travelling with someone.
2. A group of animals, especially one which is lively or unruly, or made up of wild animals such as wolves; a flock, a herd, a pack.
3. A group of disorganized things.
4. A group of (often violent) criminals or gangsters; such people as a class; (more generally) a disorderly and tumultuous crowd, a mob; hence (archaic, preceded by the), the common people as a group, the rabble.
5. A fashionable assembly; a large evening party, a soirée.
6. A noisy disturbance; also, a disorderly argument or fight, a brawl; (uncountable) disturbance of the peace, commotion, tumult.
7. An illegal assembly of people; specifically, three or more people who have come together intending to do something illegal, and who have taken steps towards this, regarded as more serious than an unlawful assembly but not as serious as a riot; the act of assembling in this manner.

## Etymology
The noun is derived from Middle English rout, route (“group of people associated with one another, company; entourage, retinue; army; group of soldiers; group of pirates; large number of people, crowd; throng; group of disreputable people, mob; riot; group of animals; group of objects; proper condition or manner”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman route, rute, Middle French rote, route, Old French rote, route, rute (“group of people, company; group of armed people; group of criminals; group of cattle”) (modern French route (obsolete)), from Latin rupta (compare Late Latin ruta, rutta (“group of marauders; riot; unlawful assembly”)), the feminine of ruptus (“broken; burst, ruptured”), the perfect passive participle of rumpō (“to break, burst, rupture, tear; to force open; (figurative) to annul; to destroy; to interrupt”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *Hrewp- (“to break; to tear (up)”). The English word is a doublet of route.
The verb is derived from Middle English routen (“to assemble, congregate; of animals: to herd together; to regroup, make a stand against; to be riotous, to riot”) [and other forms], from rout, route (noun); see above.

## Easily confused with
- **RT** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rout-vs-rt)
- **run** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rout-vs-run)
- **row** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rout-vs-row)
- **Roy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rout-vs-roy)
- **rub** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rout-vs-rub)
- **rug** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rout-vs-rug)
- **rum** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rout-vs-rum)
- **rue** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rout-vs-rue)
- **rut** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rout-vs-rut)
- **Rus** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rout-vs-rus)
- **Rua** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rout-vs-rua)
- **ruth** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rout-vs-ruth)
- **rows** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rout-vs-rows)
- **rust** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rout-vs-rust)
- **Rowe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rout-vs-rowe)
- **Roxy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rout-vs-roxy)
- **roux** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rout-vs-roux)
- **rove** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rout-vs-rove)
- **route** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rout-vs-route)
- **routes** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rout-vs-routes)

## Common misspellings (5)
`orut`, `rotu`, `routt`, `rrout`, `ruot`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/rout